Tonya Aganabe performs with the B.C. World Music Collective at the Vancouver World Music Festival.

The third annual Vancouver World Music Festival takes place April 6-8. The three-day events features musicians originally from Cuba, Mexico, Brazil, Africa, and London, and who now make their home in B.C.

The Victory Square Block Party is a free music festival that traditionally marks the end of summer, at least for some Vancouverites. The Labour Day event features local indie acts, vendors and more, all in the Downtown Eastside’s Victory Square (316 W. Hastings St.) on Sept. 4.

Rock out with Madrid, Spain’s HINDS this weekend at Levitation Vancouver.

This weekend, mindblowing rock ‘n’ roll bands and experimental music acts take over the city for the second Levitation Vancouver music festival.

The Vancouver edition grew out of the Austin-based Levitation festival, itself originally called the Austin Psych Fest. The idea behind Levitation is to bring together acts from all over the world with a taste for adventurous sounds. Local punk act White Lung, Spanish buzz band HINDS and acclaimed experimental Los Angeles producer Flying Lotus are just a few of the reasons to check out Levitation Vancouver this weekend (June 16-19). See below for more.

Keep in mind, there are dozens of shows taking place as part of the festival, which runs June 24 – July 3, and these five are just a small sampling of the local and international artists coming to town for one of the country’s most acclaimed celebrations of all things jazz, and beyond.

There are shows on outdoor stages, in parks and on streetcorners. There are shows in small clubs and bars, even restaurants. But the 2016 Vancouver International Jazz Festival also excels at big-ticket concerts, and this year’s lineup is no exception, running the gamut from a (perhaps) once-in-a-lifetime collaboration between three acclaimed singer/songwriters to a man who made his name telling others to Look Sharp! to one of today’s premiere blues bands. See below for this year’s big-stage shows at the 2016 VIJF.

Suuns and Jerusalem in My Heart play this year’s Vancouver International Jazz Festival.

Every year, when the TD Vancouver International Jazz Festival rolls around, our ever-so knowledgeable jazz music aficionado friend tells us about some awesome Norwegian tenor saxophonist we have to see, or the piano player that toured with Miles Davis for six weeks in 1963, and who can’t be missed.

That’s all well and good, what if we don’t really, uhm, like jazz?

Fortunately, the jazz festival – from June 18 – July 1, at various venues around town – hosts a wide variety of acts, including groups that can be enjoyed even if you don’t have Sketches of Spain, Kind of Blue and/or Love Supreme in your record collection (or even if you do, and that’s the limit of the jazz titles in your collection). Here’s a look at seven of them. And, in the interests of fairness, our jazz-loving friend also shares his recommendations.

It’s festival season in Vancouver again! Pretty much every weekend from April – June is filled with festivals that cater to foodies, beer lovers, and art fanatics. It’s also time for music fans to rejoice because Vancouver hosts some of the best and most diverse music festivals in the country.

Starting in June and going into August, Vancouver music festivals bring a wide array of impressive talent to the city. Whether you’re into Jazz, Folk music, or Indie, there’s a music festival just for you. Check out our list of the top Vancouver music festivals happening this year in the city:

Inside Vancouver is a multi-author blog, written by Vancouverites about Vancouver. Our goal is to give an insider’s view of Vancouver, to provide information, stories and opinions from the locals’ perspective about this great city.